Katharine Jefferts Schori

Seven conservative archbishops snubbed the head of the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Church during a crucial meeting of the church leadership here Friday, refusing to take the Holy Eucharist with her to protest her support of gay bishops and of blessing same-sex unions. The men called their action in boycotting the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the U.S.

The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church said Wednesday that it is being pushed toward painful decisions on questions of sexuality and scriptural interpretation by "impatient forces" eager for clarity, but she urged members to wait and be without fear as the church struggles through a difficult time. Appearing in a live webcast, the Most Rev.

Anxiety crept into the priest's voice as he addressed the leader of his unsettled church. Was she finding a way to bridge the widening rifts in the Episcopal Church and its parent Anglican Communion? he asked. Or was it an impasse? Standing recently in the airy sanctuary of a small San Jose church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori was direct, her low voice calm, as she offered her own, more nuanced view to the priests and lay leaders before her. "I'm not sure it is a stalemate," she said.

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of Nevada, who was elected Sunday as the first woman to lead the U.S. Episcopal Church, says it's time to put away the divisive issue of homosexuality and move on to the urgent mission of ministering to people in need. "Our primary emphasis needs to be feeding people, educating children and looking for healthcare for everybody," Jefferts Schori, 52, said in a telephone interview Monday from Columbus, Ohio, where representatives of the 2.